The Executive Chairman of the Jospong Group of Companies, Dr. Joseph Siaw Agyepong, has given assurance that Zoomlion Ghana Limited remains committed to delivering appropriate solutions towards an integrated waste management system in the country.
According to him, plans are already underway by his company to expand its recycling and composting facilities across its areas of operations from 3,000 to 10,000 tons a day.
This, he maintained, will enable the country to effectively manage waste in the country.
Dr. Agyepong also pledged that the private sector will continue to support the government in its efforts to improve upon sanitation in Ghana.
Government, he pointed out, has been instrumental in the construction of the 16 state-of-the-art integrated recycling compost plants (IRECoP) in all the 16 regions as part of efforts to deal with waste.
Dr. Agyepong has therefore commended President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo for encouraging the private sector to be active players in his government and for them to contribute their quota to the development of Ghana.
The Jospong boss was speaking at a two-day stakeholder engagement workshop organised by the Ministry of Sanitation and Water Resources (MSWR) with support from UNICEF in Accra on Friday.
Making his presentation on Private Involvement in the Sanitation Sub-Sector Performance 2018 -2021 and Outlook Performance for 2022-2025, Dr. Agyepong admitted that the 16 IRECoPs could not have been made possible without the “active involvement” of the Minister for Sanitation and Water Resources, Mrs. Cecilia Abena Dapaah.
He said the sanitation minister also played a crucial role in a 16-million Euro facility given to his group by Hungary, which was used in the construction of waste management facilities in the 16 regions.
“The minister of sanitation and water resources also helped in the country’s fight against the Covid-19 pandemic via disinfection and distribution of one million bins”, he added.
However, to achieve greater results and sustain the gains made in the sector, Dr. Agyepong reiterated the need for the involvement of all stakeholders in the sanitation space.
“I’ll urge each and every one to help maintain a serene environment as you cannot do away with poverty if you don’t deal with water and sanitation,” he advised.
The Minister of Sanitation and Water Resources, Mrs. Cecilia Abena Dapaah, strongly called for the protection of the country’s water bodies.
She said this was crucial, especially in the light of the fact that these water bodies serve as sources of potable water for Ghanaians.
Mrs. Dapaah gave assurance that her ministry will build more public places of convenience across the country as part of measures to stop the practice of dislodging faeces into water bodies.
“It is my prayer that by 2030, Ghana would be where it’s supposed to be in terms of sanitation,” she optimistically expressed.
The Minister stressed that her ministry takes the issue of water and personal hygiene very seriously.
MSWR, she reiterated, was ready to upscale sanitation concerns nationwide, adding that measures had already been put in place to support good environmental practices in schools in the country.
Waste, Mrs. Dapaah noted, was wealth, and therefore, urged Ghanaians to engage in recycling of waste.
She also reiterated that her ministry will continue to collaborate with other sectors and institutions to make the President’s vision of making Accra the cleanest city in Africa come to fruition.
The Minister disclosed that the water policy was ready to be validated, and thus pleaded with the Ghana Water Company Limited (GWCL) to extend pipe-borne water to rural dwellers.
Accordingly, Mrs. Dapaah heaped praises on donor partners such as UNICEF for supporting her ministry.
